MASA14 (www.masa14.com) opened several months ago and I am still not
sure what the name signifies (I forgot to ask). But under the
ownership of Chef Kaz Okochi (Kaz Shushi Bar) and Richard Sandoval
(Zengo), this joint venture with Chef Antonio Burrell(prev of
Viridian,Gabriel, Commonwealth Gastropub, Bis & Vidalia) in the
kitchen is already a huge success. The basis of the cuisine is the
fusion of the two chef's backgrounds--Asian & Latin.
Despite the fact that the signage at 1825 14th St, NW is not easily
seen, the place was heaving at 730pm on Monday. As you enter there is
a 65+ foor bar extending the length of the right side to the open
kitchen at the rear. A small barrier does not keep the bar noise from
the tables on the left, so try and get one of the slightly quieter
"booth" areas if you can. The exposed brick and uncarpeted floors
don't help much with the noise either.
The four of us settled in for a fabulous evening of food and wine that
was indeed a treat we look forward to returning to. Speaking of wines,
the wine list is quite good, but very low end. There are 29 whites and
13 reds under $30 each, with few mid-range and then some real pricey
ones. We started with a $26 DOMAINE ANTUGNAC '08 from the Vallee
d'Aude which our server Chris said was near the Spanish border. It was
a yummy Chardonnay that delivered fruit and not oak.
There is also an extensive sake and tequila list for those interested.
Chris (who told us he "was not single, but cheap!")suggested we order
2 or 3 small plates each and gave us some guidance which we tended to
follow.
SERRANO HAM FLATBREAD with Goat Cheese, Cantaloupe, Arugula, Truffle
and Lime sounded better than it tasted. The flatbreads are rectangular
with puffy edges, so the 2 end slices tend to be more doughy and less
filling.
HIJIKI SEAWEED-JICAMA Salad was totally refreshing with Seame/Chayote/
Daikon Sprouts and a superb palate cleanser before or after the meal.
CRISPY CRAB WONTON ROLLS with CreamCheese/Corn/Mushroom/ Shiso Truffle
and Spicy Ponzu are nice and cruncy and very rich. This is perhaps the
one dish I enjoyed but would not order again as the Cream Cheese is a
bit too rich for me.
CRUNCHY SHRIMP with Chipotle Aioli/Sesame/Scallion & Masago(roe)
is a must on anyone's list of choices. These are some of the tastiest
shrimp around!
GRILLED BABY OCTOPUS with Chimichurri and Pickled Vegetables was the
one dish that packed a spice punch as the Chimichurri on the many
little tender eight-tentacled heads was more chili-based than garlic.
We all loved this as well.
We switched to red wine and went at first with a light Andre Brunel
COTES du RHONE 2006 (listed on the menu as Syrah) made from 75%
Grenache/15%Cinsault and only 10% Syrah.
We have known Chef Kaz and Chef Antonio for years, and we had the
pleasure of getting two "off the menu" dishes that you may see if the
menu changes soon as they were both superb:
TUNA TERANDITO with Oranges,Crab.Cactus Pear & Celery Yuzu in a
Persimmon Puree was simply divine with the small scoop of Wasabi Ice
Cream and Toasted Coconut for a tinge of sweetness.
ACHIOTE Marinated SABLEFISH gave this flaky dream fish the perfect
treatment with Corn/Peppers/Olive/Macadamia Nuts in a Cilantro Broth
with Cumin/Onion & Cherry Vinegar. It sounds like a lot, but in my
mouth it was simply dreamy and delish.
Our other choices were
CRUNCHY WOK FRIED OKRA with Spicy Soy Ponzu Dip which is another have
to have dish. It tastes NOTHING like the slimy okra we know; deep
fried here to a crisp it was another big hit at the table.
PORK BELLY CARNITAS comes with Kabocha Squash/Adobo BBQ and Blood
Orange and is another delight along with the
PULLED BEEF TOSTADA which is a room temperature meat in a crunchy
tostada with Cilantro/Peanut/Bean Sprouts/Cotija Cheese and Guacamole.
The slightly peanuty sauce made this very Tex-Mex dish into a fusion
Asian wonder.
KOBE BEEF BRISKET with Oaxaca Cheese Potato in an Achiote Citrus Sauce
was another sublime experience.
We moved to a bigger red wine from "Peter Lehman MOZZA, the Surveys"
Old Vines from Australia that was 51%Shiraz/25%Mourvedre and 24%
Grenache. We all loved this full bodied and again reasonably priced
wine especially with the brisket/tostada and carnitas!
If I have to complain about one thing at Masa 14, it would be the
cleanliness of the rest rooms. I think the after work bar crowd men (I
doubt the women's room was as messy) can be so incredibly uncaring for
health and cleanliness!
The desserts we chose were varied with the
MANGO PANNA COTTA with Coconut Foam, Sake Blackberries and Coconut
Tuile placing in last place, mostly because we did not like the funny
foam.
MEXICAN CHOCOLATE TART with whipped cream, cocoa nib and Ancho
Anglaise was ok, but the
big winner was the truly brilliant
GREEN TEA CREME BRULEE with a crunchy Ginger Sugar Crust and a Yuzu
Linzer Torte that was delish, but could have used a bit more fruit
filling. This is the perfect dish to end a meal with, and virtually
our whole meal was indeed brilliant.
